One Year Anniversary!

Dear Friends,

My purpose for writing today is one-dimensional. I need prayer!

Here's why:

Judy and I have begun our second year with NeighborLink Porter County. After years of involvement with ShareFest Porter County, God revealed our passion for service to the community and led us to NeighborLink. Last year was awesome, over 70 projects were completed by 150 volunteers and coaches. This year starts out with another great ShareFest work day (this past Saturday) behind us, where hundreds of volunteers completed dozens of projects all over Porter County (Indiana). I worked (with Jake, Andrew and Sarah) on a tornado clean-up project where 80+ trees were downed on the property. It was great to see forty some strangers (strangers to the homeowner) come together and answer God's call for service. Some of the other projects included winterizing and fix-up at several trailer parks, yard work and painting.

Dustin and Amy Kirby partnered with us to help with the administration of NLPC. We had no idea what it takes to start a non-profit organization or the legal requirements involved. Truth-be-told we still don't but it is a lot easier with them beside us. Dustin and Amy both share our passion for service and are an inspiration to Judy and I as we serve. The world is a better place because of them and their faith in God. Dustin and Amy walk the talk. Not only do they serve locally, but, they have completed several international mission trips. Most recently they went to China and handed out bibles and conducted training. Thanks to them for their leadership and vision. We need more strong leaders with their heart to serve.

This year brings a whole new set of challenges. How do we continue to serve our God and do it better than last year? Prayer.

We have been able to fund the projects through donations of money, materials and labor. One that stands out is a painting project where the paint was provided by Home Depot (Behr paints), several neighbors and the NeighborLink project budget. The painting (I estimate over 300 man-hours) was done by volunteer’s from the Liberty Bible Church's senior high group, 6 people on an "alternative" spring break from Grand Rapids, MI., NPLC volunteers and several neighbors. The house looks great and the code inspectors are happy. Also, a plumbing project was completed for a house of three adults with no running water for the previous six months. Money for the materials was provided through a generous donation and the work was completed by a laid off plumber with a heart of gold.

The mission of NLPC is "Neighbor to Neighbor Expressions of God's Love", these are just a few of the many examples of the Expression of God's Love happening through Christ in our community. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)

We are considering a roofing project for a single Mom and her two children. Right now when it rains, water comes into the Mom's bedroom and onto her bed. Not something many of us experience in life. Dustin met with her personally the other day and her attitude was great. No matter what she knows that God will provide for her. To the non-Christian that means someone will put a roof on for her. To me it means that God will fill all her needs and care for her whether she gets a new roof or not. This would be the largest project we have taken on so far. It sounds easy, take roof off, put roof on. And for most of us it is that easy. This Mom does not want to sleep on a wet bed, she has to. Without financial or physical means it is impossible. I don't know if NLPC should do this project or not. We don't have the "means" either. God knows the needs of the Mom and her children and will provide accordingly. With salvation comes all the "means" necessary in life. All we need is our salvation and God provides the rest.

We are close to filing the paperwork necessary to establish non-profit status for NeighborLink. Judy has been working tirelessly to get this done and with the help of several gracious volunteers it is close.

Our prayer needs are:

Pray that the love of God and the gift of salvation are the vehicle by which NeighborLink operates.

Pray that God will reveal leaders, volunteers and coaches all over the county with the passion to serve him.

Pray for continued support for the needs of the community to be met with donations.

Pray that the roofing project need is met by God's means.

Pray that the volunteers and coaches and leaders of NLPC represent the body of Christ in all that they do.

Pray for the completion of the necessary paperwork to get NLPC's non-profit status established.

Thanks for your prayers!,

Larry Alders

ShareFest Saturday, October 10th, 2009

This is just a reminder that ShareFest Day is coming up. If you would like to sign up for a project to help serve a neighbor in need, please visit our website and click on the ShareFest tab in the upper right hand corner. From there you can click on the Valparaiso or Chesterton projects. There are projects being added almost daily, so feel free to check back often.

You can also serve by giving blood at one of the Blood Mobile's in Chesterton, Valparaiso, Portage and Kouts. We are collecting toilet paper, diapers and laundry detergent for the local food pantry's as well.

Please contact us if you have any questions!

In Him,
Larry & Judy
219-617-2077
NeighborLink Porter County

The House Is Complete!

We wanted to take a few minutes and thank the MANY volunteers who came out to paint this house in Valparaiso for a gentleman who needed us. We started around the end of July and finished up at the beginning of September. It was worked on mainly on Saturdays. However, we couldn't have completed it without the help of two of the recipients neighbors. They worked throughout the weeks that we weren't able to be there. All together there were around 30 people who helped with prep by scrapping the house and the actual painting of the house.

We want to thank Home Depot in Valparaiso and Behr who made donations and gave us discounts on paint. Not only that, but one of the neighbors came by and saw what was happening and she and her husband made a donation toward paint. We also received donations of paint supplies and ladders by various people.

The home owner is incredibly grateful for the help of the many volunteers who came to help him. We feel blessed and honored to be part of such an incredible organization!

Thank you,
Larry & Judy

Social Justice and NeighborLink

Here are some powerful words from Andrew who is the Executive Director Of NeighborLink Fort Wayne......

Micah 6:8
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to represent NeighborLink and share about social justice in a local context at Level 13, which is a church on the NE side of town. I wish you could have been there with me because it was such beautiful experience. Church was outside in a tent and the format was different than a traditional Sunday morning service because they were launching Mission68. It was broken down into three sections in order to highlight three missional priorities as a church as they align with this scripture in Micah. Both Michelle and I felt like family as we connected with the smaller congregation throughout the whole morning. If you're looking for a new church and live on the NE side of Fort Wayne, I encourage you to connect with them.

I had the privilege of sharing with that congregation the concept behind NeighborLink and the situations of our recipients. I also got to tell about the stories of what our volunteers are stepping into and how it goes far beyond just completing projects. I told them about volunteers helping with routine chores for people with disabilities and I was able to tell them about volunteers pooling their resources together to do what no one else would do or expect of them. I was so honored to tell them about a group of volunteers who would show up on a regular basis to take the trash out for a recipient and help them fold their laundry.

There was so much I wanted to tell Level 13 and to tell the "Church" of Fort Wayne about all the wonderful ways people are stepping into the gaps. I wanted to tell them that it's only the surface of what needs to be done.

God is being faithful to expose me to concepts of Social Justice. To me, Social Justice is when people go beyond the project and into figuring out the very structures/issues leading to need for help. Social Justice is when we go beyond just helping by mowing the yard and we offer to be the property caretakers for those who can no longer do it themselves. Social Justice calls us to take jobs in the social services sectors and work to change the very structures that are letting people in need fall through them. Social Justice is when we pack up our families and move them to an under-resourced area of town so we can make the schools and the neighborhoods better places to live and to be influences on the fatherless children. Social Justice may very well be the internal transformation of our hearts and actions because of the experiences we gain from serving.

I feel a great responsibility to be engaged with Social Justice issues. God has called me to share the good news with people who need it most. I know through experiences that it requires movement on my part and that the journey is going to be difficult. I have to go places I don't want go, do things I'd rather not, and interact with people and situations that are uncomfortable.

The greatest thing about the concept of Social Justice is that it can mean something totally different to you as you interact with the margins of our city. NeighborLink is an entry point for you to begin interacting with the concept of Social Justice that will lead you to other things you will see and require your attention.


What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

~ James 2:14-17

ShareFest Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Our annual ShareFest Day is coming up on Saturday, October 10th, 2009. Since 2004, ShareFest has been a day of service for Christians from all over Porter County to share their faith through deeds and actions. Four cities in Porter County will be participating: Chesterton, Valparaiso, Portage and Kouts.

This year ShareFest and NeighborLink Porter County will be joining forces. The projects that will be completed on the day of ShareFest in Chesterton and Valparaiso will be pulled from the NeighborLink Porter County website at NeighborLinkpc.org

Residents of Porter County can get involved by donating liquid laundry detergent, diapers, toilet paper and food items for the local food pantries.

Volunteers can serve by signing up for a work project at the website and by signing up to give blood at one of the local blood drives.

We hope that you can be a part of ShareFest this year!

In Him,
Larry & Judy Alders

On My Heart

Our family has seen it's share of death. In the last three years, our children have lost a precious Grandma (my Mom), a beloved Uncle, a dear Grandfather (Larry's Dad) and most recently they lost a teacher. They have also seen every spectrum of dying. One died in a freak accident, one had been sick with cancer, one lived to be 88 years old and one's life was taken from them. I wonder how our little one's are dealing with all of this grief. It has been hard for me as an adult, so I can't imagine what must be going through our precious children' s minds.

For me, I can manage it all because my hope is not in this world, my hope is in Jesus Christ. I know that this fallen world is not all there is. Lately, we have had to continually remind the kids of this, but you just don't know how much they can grasp at each of their ages. This is part of why we started NeighborLink. We want to share with others who don't know Jesus personally. We choose to do that by being the hands and feet of Christ in the community. We want to be missionaries in our own back yards. We want YOU to have the HOPE that we have. Do you know that if you died today, that you would be in Heaven? WE DO. Life on earth can be great, but it can also be really tough and mean sometimes.

I was thinking about of a friend who got married last weekend. She and her new hubby are basking in the sun somewhere tropical right now. Do you know that feeling when your on vacation and you say to whomever your with, "lets just stay here and not go home." It feels so awesome to just relax and take in all the beauty that God has created. That is how I picture Heaven someday. It's going to be perfect, beautiful and amazing. I want you to have that hope too! THIS WORLD IS NOT ALL THERE IS!! This world is beautiful, but Heaven is going to be so much better.

So how do I get there you ask? Well, it's really very simple. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. And Romans 3:23 says, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. All you really need to do is recognize that you are a sinner, (we all are) ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins (that's why He died on the cross) and then ask Him to take control of your life. If you want to talk more about this, please call me.

I have been on vacation and thought, "I wish my whole family could be here to enjoy this, this place is so beautiful, I wish they could all be here to share this with me." I wish that for YOU today. I hope to see you in Paradise someday.

In Him,
Judy

Chesterton Tornado Clean Up

As most of you know, on Wednesday, August 19th, at 7:35 pm Chesterton, Indiana was hit with an Ef2 tornado. While there were watches posted, there was no advance warning of the storm because there was a hardware failure on the sirens. The Chesterton Middle School roof was damaged as well as the Duneland Resale Shop. Several other businesses and homes have been damaged as well.

One of the garage's

The devastation is hard to believe, but what's more incredible is that fact that no one was seriously hurt when you look at these pictures. The tornado was Wednesday night, but it was Friday before we found out about the first family that we have been blessed to help. This family moved here two years ago from California. They moved into this home last year. There are well over 50 trees down on the property of four acres. These pictures don't do the devastation justice. The family has been overwhelmed with the generosity of those in our small town. There were several volunteers from the community on Saturday and over 20 on Sunday from the community and local churches.

This is the view from their front door.

Popolano's restaurant in Chesterton was kind enough to donate lunch for the volunteers who showed up on Sunday. We want to thank them for their generosity.

Their swimming pool

The garage attached to the house

This is just one family in Chesterton. We know that there are dozens more that will need help in the coming weeks and months. We hope that you will take this opportunity to reach out and help a neighbor in need. Please keep in mind, that if you know of someone who needs help, they can post their project on our NeighborLink Porter County website. If they don't have the Internet, they can call me and I will post the project for them. We will do our very best to help them.

In Him,
Larry & Judy Alders